Means for securing heads to handles of tools



s. J. SHEPARD. MEANS FOR SECURING HEADS TO HANDLES 0F TOOLS.

APPLICATION FILED OCT- 3!, I919 I J WW 41 A /1 A 2 i. m

Patented une 8, 1920.

STANLEY J. SHEPARD, 0F PORTEBVITJLE, CALIFORNIA.

MEANS FOR SECURING HEADS T0 HANDLES OF TOOLS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 8, 1920.

Application filed October 31, 1919. Serial No. 334,817.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, STANLEY J. SHEPARD, a citizen of the United States, residing at Porterville in the county of Tulare and State of dalifornia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Means for Securing Heads to Handles of Tools, of which the following is a specification.

The heads of tools, such as hammers, hatchets, axes, sledges and the like, are during use of the tools, liable to become loose on the handles thereof. It is also at times desirable or necessary to replace worn handles with new ones. In replacing the handles heretofore in general use, it was almost always necessary to whittle the entering portions of the handles so as to fit into the bores of the heads. This whittling is an arduous task, owing to the hardness of the wood employed for handles of this character.

It is the object of my invention to provide convenient novel means whereby handles are fastened in the heads of tools of the character mentioned; further, to provide novel means whereby the entering ends of the handles are arranged to fit a wide range of differences in sizes of bores in the head;

and, further, to provide novel means whereby the handle is readily tightened in the head from time to time, so that the handle may be continuously held firmly in the head in order that wear and abrasion between the head and handle are avoided, and splitting, breaking and injury to the handles are prevented.

It is the object of my invention, further, to provide novel means whereby to secure a firm joint between the head and the handle, and whereby the joint may be adjusted conveniently so as to obtain a firm clamping fit between the handle and the head, and to maintain such firm joint.

The invention will be further readily understood from the following description and claims, and from the drawing in which latter:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of my im-' proved device, partly in section on the line 11 Fig. 2. I

Fig. 2 is an end view of the same. Fig. 3 is a cross-section of the same, taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is an edge elevation of the head-end of the handle, the head being omitted; and, Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the anchor,

' other 3. The end walls 16 of the bore are shown parallel. The end walls of the bore are preferably rounded in cross-section. The end of the handle received in the bore is provided with a slot 17, extending lengthwise of the handle, to form the head-end of the handle into branches 18 integral with the body of the handle.

A wedge-piece 21 is received in this slot. The slot may be of wedge-form if desired. The handle is preferably of wood and the wedge-piece is preferably of metal. The base of the wedge is toward the outer end of the head, the apex of the wedge being di- Eeicted toward the grasping end of the hanscrew 25 is swiveled, as by a swiveled joint 26, to the anchor. The anchor and the screw are located in a bore 27, extending lengthwise in the handle. The axis of the bore and the axis of the handle are preferably coincident. The slot 17 for the wedge preferably merges into the bore.

The screw is provided with turning means at its outer end. These turning means are shown as a slotted head 29, but may be of desirable form. The screw has threaded connection in a threaded bearing 30 in the wedge-piece. This threaded bearing is shown as an enlargement in the side walls of the wedge and is received in the An anchor 24 is located 1n the handle. A

bore. A pin 31 is received through a hole 32 in theanchor and is preferably received through holes 33 in the handle and holes 34 in the head 12. The ends of the pin are shown riveted into countersunk recesses 36 in the head, forming heads 37 on the ends of the anchor-pin for holding the same in place.

The anchor is fixed in endwise relation in the handle, as by means of the pin 31 received in holes 33 in the handle, placed in suitable position adjacent the head-end of the handle, but preferably so as to register with the holes 34 in the head. The screw has a swivel connection with the anchor and is permitted to turn. When the screw is turned, it forces the wedge lengthwise of the handle, in or out, according to the direction in which the screw is turned, and the direction in which the threads thereon eX- tend. The anchor is anchored to the handle and preferably to the head to resist move ments in both directions of force applied thereto. Forcing the wedge inwardly causes the branches 18 of the end of the handle located in the bore 14 of thehead, to move laterally against the walls of the bore in the head, instanced as theside walls, so as toclamp thebranches of the handle betweenthe wedge and the walls of the bore in the head, for clamping the head to the handle.

In assembling the parts, the bore 27 is preferably formed in the head-end of the handle by a suitable boring tool and the anchor is inserted in the bore. The wedge maybe driven into theend of the handle for forming the slot 17 and the branches 18, or, if desired, this slot may be formed by means of a suitable saw for sawing the slot in the handle prior to the insertion of the wedge.- The slot may be formed with parallel side walls or with side walls outwardly, as may be desired. The wedgepiece" is preferably at its outer limit of movement on the screw when it is inserted in the handle,

The head-end of the handle is inserted into thebore of the head. I/Vhen so inserted it. may, if desired, have been provided with its assembled anchor, screw and wedge, the

wedge being at its outermost limit of move ment, or if desired, the anchor, screw and wedge. may be inserted in the handle-end after the insertion of the latter into the bore of the head.

When the handle-end has been located in the bore of the head, and the anchor, wedge and screw have been. inserted in the bore in the end of the handle, sothat the hole 3 2 in the anchor registers with the holes 33 in the handle, and the holes 34 in the head reg lster with the holes 33 and 32,- the anchorpin 31 isinserted in said holes, and the ends of the anchor-pin riveted to the head, for

assemblingthe parts. For convenience in assembling, the hole 32 inthe anchor may be enlarged, the end walls of the hole limitmg movement of the anchor.

,"After the parts are thus assembled, the

screw '25 is turned for moving the wedge 21 inwardly, whereby the branches 18 of the head-end of the handle are p uponthe wallsin the bore of thehead which are opposed to the spreading walls of the di verging pressed firmly wedge, for clamping the parts together. The branches 18 may be spread by the wedge-piece so that the outer end of the portion of the handle in the bore of the head is of greater diameter than the inner end of said portion for causing the outer faces of said branches to be divergent toward their outer ends and forced into clamping connection with the preferably diverging walls of the bore in the head.

The screw 25 is readily turned from time to time for maintaining the clamping fit between the. branches of the handle and the walls of the bore in the head, in order to avoid the head becoming loose on'the handle, and'to insure that the head is at all times fixed" to the handle for avoiding abrasion and wear of the handle in the head, and preventing a slivering or splitting of the handle. The head 29 may be received in a recess 38 in the end of the handle, and the parts so arranged that the handle-parts do not protrude beyond the outer edge of the head. I

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent is:

1. In means of the character described, the combination of a head having a bore, a handle the end whereof is received in the said bore, an anchor in said handle, means for anchoring said anchor to said handle 95 and to said head, the end ofsaid' handle in said bore provided with a slot, a wedgepiece received in said slot, and a screw hav ing swivel-connection with said anchor and threaded connection with such wedge-piece 1 whereby to move said wedge-piece lengthwise of said handle by rotation of said screw.

2. In means of the character described, the combination of a head provided with a 105 bore having opposite walls diverging out wardly, a handle the endwhereof is provided with branches received in said bore, a wedge-piece in said handle between said branches, a screw having threaded connec- 110 tion with said wedge-piece, and means for Witnesses:

NORDIOA DIOK'SON, WAL o E. Burrow). 

